City Shift
Not everyone has had an equal voice in how we build and grow our cities.
YWCA City Shift aims to make our region more equitable, prosperous and just by supporting Metro Vancouver cities to challenge assumptions, incorporate diverse perspectives and support actions that serve the entire community.
- The YWCA City Shift team can support your city to go beyond general commitments to equity and inclusion and move to tangible action
- Our project team and Advisory Council members are available to meet with Councillors and city staff to talk about options that meet your community’s needs
- Read our Municipal Equity Kickstart Guide that includes sample motions and policies from other jurisdictions, helpful examples, and other tools to support the process. All we need from you is leadership and commitment
- Reach out to cityshift@ywcavan.org to learn more
- Use this quick guide to engage with local government
- Tell your local city councillors about YWCA City Shift (cityshift.ca)
- Ask your local city councillors if they will commit to working with the YWCA City Shift team to support equity in decision making
- Read and share our Municipal Equity Kickstart Guide
- We’ve created some template messages for you to reach out to your local city councillors supporting City Shift.
- Reach out to cityshift@ywcavan.org to learn more
We are so excited to announce the launch of our Equity Kickstart Guide for Cities.
We encourage you to read the guide and share it with your municipality’s mayor, council and leadership team to ensure equitable city building is a priority in your community.
Women from all backgrounds and identities have not had an equal voice in how we build and grow our cities. YWCA City Shift is committed to changing that – building cities where all women and gender diverse people are seen, heard and cared for. To create cities that are safe, innovative and prosperous, we must support and empower everyone to thrive.
When we look at things from a variety of perspectives, we begin to understand that our identities impact how we experience city life. Because some people might just see a crack in the sidewalk as a crack. But for someone with a stroller, or limited mobility, a crack can be a major obstacle. Dark streets feel a whole lot different depending on your gender.
Placemaking through the lens of different perspectives means taking into account the full scope of identities, realities, challenges and experiences of the people who make a city a city.
We have the tools to make our cities fairer and more equitable, we just need to use them. It’s about positive representation. It’s about belonging. It’s about making cities work for all. It’s about creating a place where everyone feels at home.
City councils don’t always reflect the communities they serve. For policies that serve everyone, diverse input is needed.
YWCA City Shift will be hosting events, workshops and candidate meetings. Stay tuned to learn more and have your voice heard!
Reimagining our Cities: Advancing Equity in a Polarized Time
Do not miss this inspiring event. Watch the livestream of Reimagining our Cities: Advancing Equity in a Polarized Time!
In celebration of International Women’s Day 2024, YWCA City Shift brought together a diverse panel of women to discuss how our communities can work towards becoming more equitable and inclusive in an increasingly polarized world.
Featuring:
- Keynote: Shachi Kurl
- Opening: Dennis Thomas-Whonoak
- Poem: Fiona Tinwei Lam
- Panelists: Aftab Erfan, Andrea Reimer, Ginger Gosnell-Myers, Rachael Segal
Reimagining Our Cities - On building equitable cities
To create cities that are safe, innovative and prosperous, we must support and empower everyone to thrive.
In 2022, YWCA City Shift hosted a series of events and workshops where community, business and political leaders imagined what our cities could be if equity and inclusion were at the heart of decision-making. Watch videos and check out the content from our past events and workshops.
Collective Zine
On October 26, 2022, artist and facilitator Luna Axin led 18 participants through a creative and heartfelt zine making workshop to boldly imagine new futures and possibilities for our cities.
To learn more about the zine, as well as inclusive community engagement, tune into this recording by facilitator Luna Axin and graphic recorder Tiaré Lani.
We invite you to explore the ideas shared in the collective zine and use them as inspiration for creating kind, equitable and inclusive cities.
Contact Leah Rambally, YWCA City Shift Project Lead at cityshift@ywcavan.org.
City Shift 2.0 and Peer-centered Advocacy Councils
We are excited to announce that YWCA City Shift has been extended! In this new iteration of City Shift we will be launching a peer-centered advocacy council, while continuing to build important relationships with municipalities across Metro Vancouver.
Learn about equity frameworks like Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+)
City Shift is funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada
